Apparatus for automatically opening garage doors



April 21, 1936. A. c. BLAKE I APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING GARAGE DOORS Filed Jan. 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ,qrchie C. B lali'e. 3 Pg 21, 1936. 2,038,161 APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING GARAGE DOORS A. c. BLAKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. "17, 1955 we Illl IHVENTOR Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENING GARAGE DOORS 4 Claims;

This invention relates to apparatus adapted for use, in conjunction with a motor vehicle, in automatically opening and closing the doors of a garage, the operation of opening the doors taking place as the motor vehicle,'advancing toward the garage, mounts and passes over certain structure installed on the drive-way, their closing being accomplished in like manner, only in converse order,-that is, when the vehicle is being backed out of the garage.

The primary object of my invention, as will be apparent from the foregoing, is to supply apparatus by means of which it becomes unnecessary for the operator of the vehicle to dismount therefrom to perform the opening and closing operations on the doors of the building, which, under certain conditions, as for instance rainy weather, is not only irksome but very inconvenient.

The ordinary, private garage is usually built with very restricted interior space, so that it becomes necessary, in installing apparatus as herein set forth to place the same outside the building. In the present instance I mount the parts which are actuated by the motor vehicle above the ramp to the garage, preferably housing the other elements beneath it.

Automatic actuation of the apparatus is possible when the garage doors are closed and the vehicle is about to be placed in the building, also when the doors are opened and the vehicle is backed out of it. Manual operations are necessary to open the doors before the vehicle is about to be driven out of the garage, and to close them after the vehicle has been placed in the building.

The following specification describes, and the accompanying drawings illustrate the apparatus by which the foregoing objects are accomplished.

In the drawings,-in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts- Fig. 1 is a, perspective view of a garage, showing my apparatus installed adjacent thereto, the doors of the building being closed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the elements connecting each of the doors with the driving parts, the door in this instance being shown closed;

Fig. 3 is like Fig. 2 except that the door is open;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the actuating parts, showing them installed in a pit;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the driving pawl;

Fig.7 is an end elevation of the ridge-beam and one of the platforms, showing interconnecting means; 7

Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the'pit showing a portion of the apparatus installed therein, with a motor vehicle wheel surmounting the 5 ridge-beam, depressing the parts;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show various positions of the driving ratchet wheel with respect to the crank Wheel;

Fig. 12 illustrates the foot pedal used to throw 10 the crank off the dead center, and

Fig. 13 shows the design of the upper end of the pawl.

Referring to the drawings, G represents a garage in which may be stored a motor vehicle, .15 and R is the ramp or that portion of the drive-way lying immediately in front of the'building.

I Although my apparatus might be located on top of the ground, for Various reasons I prefer to install it in a pit P where it is less exposed and 20 more completely protected.

The apparatus comprises two platforms 1, I, normally inclined and pivotally connected-at their higher sides to the centrally disposed ridge-beam 2.. I make connections between the two-members, 5 I and 2, preferably adjacent the two ends of the ridge-beam, as shown in end view in Fig. 7, the parts for each connection comprising a yoked bracket 3 secured to'the under side of the ridgebeam, and a strap 4 fixed to the platform and extendin under the ridge beam in a looped end operating over the pin 5 which, as willbe observed is located'in a transversely central position, relative to the ridge-beam. Downward pressure on the platforms will, therefore, tend to keep the ridge-beam surface always in a horizontalplane.

I prefer to bevel the under side of the platform, as at la, to enable thewheels to more easily mount the structure.

The ends 2a of the ridge-beam are each reduced 40 in width so as to freely slide, vertically, between the two posts 6 the upper ends of which are tied together by the plate I and the lower ends thereof anchored in the ground within the pit P. 5

Located between each pair of posts 6, and secured thereto, is a bearing 8, revolvable in which is a shaft 9 having on each of itsends a fly-wheel I0.

Fixed on' this shaft 9, intermediate the two pairs of posts 6, are two ratchet wheels ll each having four teeth Ila. Operating in connection with each of these ratchet wheels is a pawl, preferably constructed as shown in Fig. 6 of two plates l2 straddling the web of the ratchet wheel and hung from a pivoting pin l3 secured in the bracket M, which latter is fixed toand disposed on the under side of the ridge-beam 2.

Interconnecting the lower ends of the two plates l2 in each pawl is a ratchet pin l5 which, successively, engages the teeth in the ratchet wheel as the ridge-beam is depressed and rises.

Springs I6 hold the free ends of the pawls in constant engagement with the ratchet wheels I l, and two other springs I! serve to normally and yieldingly maintain the ridge-beam in its highest position, causing the platforms to incline in opposite directions.

Each of the fly-wheels ID has a crank-pin I00, extending from which in the direction of the garage is a connecting-rod I8, the latter being housed in the tunnel I9 and making connection at its forward end with the door-opening and closing elements adjacent the garage.

A set of these door-operating elements is supplied for each door, it being usual practice to have two doors for each entrance when the doors are of the swinging type.

Each of these sets includes a yoked bracket 20 fixed on the door frame F from which, through the agency of the hinges H the doors D swing, and a bell-crank lever 2| rotatively mounted on the pin 22 in the yoked member 20, with one arm 2 la pivotally joined to the connecting-rod l8 and the other arm 2|b making connection with the link 23 which swings from a bearing 24 secured to the door D. In Fig. 2 the bell-crank lever and link are shown as they are disposed when the garage door is closed, and in Fig. 3 they are depicted as they appear when the door is opened.

The operation of the device is automatic in that the opening or closing of the doors are accomplished simultaneously with the passage of the motor vehicle into or out of the garage.

As the forward wheels of the automobile pass on to the platform I the whole super-structure begins to depress, causing the pawl I2 to rotate the ratchet wheel I I. When the ridge-beam has descended to the limit of its downward movement it rests on the stop-bar 25. At this time the ratchet wheel has rotated through an arc of ninety degrees, or from the position it assumes in Fig. 9 to that in which it is disposed in Fig. 10. Correspondingly, the crank-pin Illa has made a quarter turn, as will be seen by examination of Figs. 9 and 10.

After the forward wheels have passed off the platforms and ridge-beam the latter structure rises, causing the pawl to engage the next adjacent tooth in the ratchet wheel. Then upon the rear wheels of the vehicle ascending the platform, the same operation is repeated, with the crankpin moving around to the position shown in Fig. II. This completes one full cycle of movements to fully open the garage doors, the forward wheels opening them half-way and the rear wheels continuing to swing them full open. The function of the springs I1 is simply to raise the ridge-beam and platforms after the motor vehicle wheels have passed on to and off them. The motor vehicle is now housed in the garage, and the doors must be closed manually.

But as the crank-pin is now disposed on a dead-center line it will most likely be impossible to swing the doors into their closed positions by grasping the doors themselves.

However, as the operator has housed his vehicle and is now leaving the garage, on his way therefrom he simply mounts the ridge-beam, depressing it once to half-way close the doors. Then by stepping ofl and allowing the parts to rise, and repeating the first operation, the doors will swing to their fully closed positions.

The crank-pin has been rotated on its swinging circle from dead-center position (Fig. 11) to dead-center position (Fig. 9) by the operators manual actuation of the ridge-beam, the deadcenter positions representing, respectively, the position of the doors when fully opened and fully closed.

It is to be observed that this arrangement provides an automatically functioning lock for the doors without adding special equipment for accomplishing the purpose; in other words, the crank-on-the-dead-center idea operates to keep the doors closed when the crank is positioned as shown in Fig, 9, and opened, against accidental closingas by the wind, when the crank assumes the position shown in Fig. 11.

Subsequently, when about to take his car out of the garage, the doors now being closed, the operator repeats his last performance with respect to mounting the ridge-beam, effecting a full opening of the garage doors. I

He now enters the vehicle and backs out of the garage, and the operations as set forth in the beginning, descriptive of the automatic, motor-vehicle actuation of the door-moving elements are gone through with, with the result that the doors are completely closed.

To supplement the foregoing method of manual or foot-power actuation of the mechanism for opening or closing the doors, particularly if the operator of the motor vehicle desires to pad-lock his doors to the garage after closing them, I

provide a very simple device in the form of a foot-pad 26 having a shank 21 which extends downwardly into the tunnel l9 and terminates in a yoke portion 28 which straddles the connectingrod I8. I

When the crank-pin is on either dead-center positions, as shown in Figs. 9 and 11, it can be forced oif this position by depressing the footpad 26, this action making it possible to grasp the door and swing it to either open or closed position.

However, should an attempt be made to do this when the crank-pin is located as in Fig. 11, and with the pawl and ratchet wheel as usually constructed and operated, it would be found that the tooth in the ratchet wheel next adjacent the pawl-pin i5 would prevent rotation of the crank-wheel in clock-wise fashion, because the tooth would engage the pin.

I accordingly make allowance in the downward stroke of the pawl, giving it an overtravel, so that when in its upper position, as seen in Figs. 5, 9 and 11, the teeth of the ratchet wheel will clear the ratchet-pin when the crank shaft is rotated. In. other words, the downward movement of the ridge-beam is greater than would ordinarily be required for the pawl to rotate the ratchet wheel one-quarter turn should the ratchet pin be seated in the tooth space when it began its descent to rotate the ratchet wheel.

It is thus evident that at the termination of every full downward movement of the ridgebeam the crank-pin Hla will be disposed at either one of the dead-center positions or on either quarter of the crank circle. When the doors are P manually actuated and brought into either fully open or fully closed positions it will automatically position the crank-pin in either one of the dead-center positions, or substantially so.

I In opening and closing the doors by automatic,

or motor-vehicle actuation, it is desirable to provide some means whereby there is offered a certain amount of resistance to the swinging movement of the doors while in half-open position.

For this purpose I place two projections 29 on the periphery of the crank wheel, diametrically in line with the crank-pin, one of these projections engaging a spring clip 30, secured to the post 6, when the crank-pin is substantially on its lower quarter position and the other projection likewise engaging the clip when the crank-pin is on its return movement and disposed on its upper quarter location. The resistance to rotary movement of the crank wheel when either of the bosses is in engagement with the spring clip is not great but sufiicient to hold the doors in half-open positions under ordinary wind conditions.

It will be obvious, by examination of Figs. 5 and 6, that, were there no means otherwise to prevent it, the spring It would pull the pawl out of possible engagement with the ratchet wheel when depressed. To obviate this difficulty I extend a heel portion Hat on the upper ends of the plates I2 of the pawl, these portions engaging the under side of the member l4 and holding the backward swinging movement of the pawl to the proper limitation, or so that the ratchet-pin I5 is never back of the tooth space adjacent the ratchet teeth.

In Fig. 8 a motor-vehicle wheel is shown surmounting the ridge-beam, depressing it to the stops 25 and compressing the springs if the function of which is simply to return the platform structure to its uppermost position after the motor-vehicle has passed off it.

The expansive strength of these springs need, therefore, be comparatively small, so that the weight of an ordinary size individual is greatly in excess of the power required to compress them.

The device is simple in structure, efficient in operation and will, it is believed, be a valuable acquisition to those who appreciate conveniences in connection with the operation of motor-vehicles.

What I claim is:

l. A garage door-opening and closing device adapted to be actuated by the passage of a mo tor vehicle thereover, comprising a double, depressible platform structure, posts at each end of said structure adapted to guide said platform in its vertical movements, a shaft beneath and extending longitudinally of said structure, a ratchet-wheel on said shaft, said wheel having four teeth therein, a double-plate pawl the plates of which straddle said wheel, means to pivotally connect the upper end of said pawl with the platform structure, a ratchet-pin in said pawl, so disposed with respect to said ratchet-wheel that, when said platform structure is in its highest position, said pin lies outwardly of the periphery of said wheel, but adapted, when said platform structure is depressed, to bring said ratchet-pin into the path of circumferential movement of the teeth in said ratchet-wheel, whereby said teeth are consecutively engaged by said ratchet-pin to rotate said shaft one-quarter turn at each full depression movement of the platform structure, and a stop to limit the downward movement of said structure.

2. In apparatus of the class described adapted for use in opening and closing the swinging doors of garages and the like, comprising a depressible platform, a shaft beneath said platform, a toothed ratchet-wheel fixed on said shaft, a pivotally hung pawl operating between said platform and said ratchet-wheel to rotate the shaft one-quarter revolution at each full depression movement of the platform, a crank-wheel on each end of said shaft, a crank-pin on each crank-wheel, a connecting-rod extending from each of said crank-pins forwardly toward the garage doors, means interconnecting, respectively, the forward ends of the connecting-rods with the garage doors, and a foot-pad disposed adjacent the said doors and surmounting said connecting-rod, whereby when it is depressed, said foot-pad will move the crank end of the connecting-rod off either of its dead-center positions.

3. Apparatus of the class described adapted for use, in conjunction with a motor vehicle, for automatically opening and closing the two swingingly mounted doors of a garage, comprising two pairs of posts, constituting supporting standards for said apparatus, said posts being arranged on the ramp immediately in front of the garage and spaced, one pair from the other a distance in excess of the wheel gauge of the motor vehicle, a bearing on each pair of posts, a

shaft journalled in said bearings and extending from one to the other thereof, a ridge-beam interconnecting the two pairs of posts and vertically slidable thereon, a plate superimposed on and tying the upper ends of each pair of posts, a spring disposed between each end of said ridgebeam and the bearing adjacent thereto, said springs adapted to yieldingly and normally hold the ends of the ridge-beam in contact, respectively, with said plates, stop members on said posts adapted to limit the downward movement of the ridge-beam, and a platform disposed at each side of the ridge-beam and hinged thereto at a plurality of pivotal points located beneath and transversely central of said ridge-beam.

4. An apparatus adapted for use in opening and closing the two swinging doors of a garage by motor vehicle actuation thereof comprising a structure upon and over which said vehicle is adapted to pass, said structure embodying two normally inclined platforms, a ridge-beam disposed between said platforms and hingedly connected thereto, a post anchored in the ground at each end of said structure, adapted to partially support the same, a bearing secured to each of said posts, a shaft journalled in said bearings and extending from one to the other thereof, beneath and longitudinally of said ridge-beam, a spring over each bearing, the upper end thereof thrusting on the under side of said ridge-beam, said springs normally holding said ridge-beam in its most elevated position, inclining said platforms on each side thereof, a ratchet wheel, having four teeth thereon, fixed on said shaft, a pawl pivotally secured at its upper end to said ridge-beam with the lower end thereof engaging said ratchet wheel for the purpose of rotating said shaft when the ridge-beam is depressed, a crank fixed on each end of said shaft, connecting-rods one end of which are op erably mounted on said cranks, and means on said doors making pivotal connections, respectively, with the other ends of said connecting-rods whereby said doors are swung through an arc of ninety degrees at each full depression movement of said ridge-beam.

ARCHIE C. BLAKE. 

